Devolution of Government in the Ex-Communist Countries: Some Explanatory Frameworks.- 1: Challenges of the Reform Process.- Rebuilding local democracy and administration in East Germany — a “special case” of post-communist transformation?.- The Czech Republic 1990–2001. Successful reform at the municipal level and a difficult birth of the intermediary government.- Local Government in Poland and Hungary: from post-communist reform towards EU accession.- Local democracy in the Baltic countries: a new beginning?.- Local Government Reform in Slovenia. From socialist self-management to local self-government.- Local Government Development in Croatia. Problems and Value Mix.- Local self-government in Russia: Precarious trajectory between power and law.- 2: Making Local Democracy Work.- Towards normalisation of local democracy in East-Central Europe. A developmental approach to institutional reform.- The values of local democracy as seen by mayors in East-Central Europe.- Whose mayor? Representational roles in local politics.- How beautiful is bigger? In search of the optimal size for local democracy.- Learning across borders: The international contacts of municipalities.- 3: Conclusions.- Decentralisation: Lessons for Reformers.- List of authors.